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The LMRs' Role LMR Design Systems Outline |
LMR Design Tree 
Alpha Proton Xray Spectrometer More information on the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer is available at the AXPS Experiment page. This system was used on the NASA Sojourner Mission and has many properties that make it an ideal LMR Sensor System. The apparatus is light and consumes very little power. Relatively easy to accomodate with the LMR computer systems. The Alpha Proton Xray Spectrometer can be deployed without using too much power, and can supply the Astronauts with extensive data on the Martian Surface.The fact that the equipment has been tested and proven in field excersises on the Martian surface makes it a critical component to include on the small LMRs. For this reason, the APXS will be installed on all the small LMRs. More information on the Infrared Spectroscope is available at the Infrared Spectroscopy Experiment page. The system will be included on only some of the small sized LMRs, and on all of the medium sized LMRs. Carrying two sensors may limit the small LMRs' mobility. It is essential that at least some small LMRs have the capabilities to succesfully accomplish intricate maneuvers. For this reason only two small LMRs per family will carry the Infrared Spectroscope. Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectroscopy More information on Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectroscopy is available on the GCMS Experiment Page. Though the system is particularly capable at locating interesting surface samples for sample return, its heavy large mass severely limits its mobility across the Martian surface. A 70-140 kg device could not be supported by the small LMRs. With sufficient research, however it may be possible to construct a Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer that can fit on the medium sized LMRs. This would allow the LMR families to complement their sensor capabilities with the powerful GCMS. The instrument will not benefit from the same surface coverage as the small LMR-mounted APXS sensor, but could give the astronauts the extra information they need to identify appropriate samples for sample return.Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy More information on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy is available on the NMR Experiment Page. Though this sensor offers very high resolution imagery of possible molecular signs of life on Mars, its large severly limits its applications to in-field sensor scans. Instead, the NMR spectroscope will be part of the habitat. Any distant in-field samples returned by the LMR families will be available for scanning using the effective NMR equipment. |
